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Entry tags:
Finding Traces
Story: Finding Traces
Year: 984 FY
Characters: Taz, Dallu
Warnings: References to murder and interspecies romance
Dallu sat perched on a rock on the edge of Taz's lagoon, dangling his feet in the water and watching her swim closer, taking a roundabout, arcing path the way she did when she was thoughtful.
She pulled herself halfway up, her hands resting on either side of his waist, looking at him intently. "I need you to do somethin' for me."
"Of course, anything," he said. He trailed his fingers down one of her arms.
She smiled faintly. "Not that. Well, that, but not yet. I need you to tell me about a murder."
He stopped. "A murder?"
"Yeah." She pushed away from the rock, floating on her back with her hair spread around her, the edges of her fins just breaking the water. "Male victim, torn to pieces, 'round eleven last night. Might be a John Doe, might've been identified. Not too far from the water, about as far as a scared kid could run."
"...Taz, are you involved in something that--"
Taz jerked and launched herself, furious, almost entirely out of the water. "You don't trust me. When did I ever give you reason to think I'd tear a man apart, Dallu?"
He held up his hands. "That's not what I meant. Of course you didn't do it, you wouldn't." And even if you would, you can't get that far onto land, so there's no way you did that to this one. "But I know you have more contacts than you want me to think, and if one of them is dangerous..."
She flopped back again. "No. One of my kids was a witness. But I don't have any cops on in my network, so I can't figure out what happened."
"And you want me to go poking around?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "Kid was scared shitless, Dallu, and he's always been pretty damn steady, when I've seen him before. I don't like that. Not from one of my people."
And there was the territorial streak in merfolk, rearing its head again. "I might not be able to find much," he warned. "I don't usually work with the police, so I don't have as much access as you think."
"I know. But anythin' you can find. I tore off a piece of the kid's shirt--s'been in the water with me for a long time, but if you could use that to get to where he saw it, and go pokin' around once the cops are done..." She put her hands on the rock again, levering herself up out of the water. "I want this bastard dead, Dallu. Killin' people is all well and good, but there's some things you don't do. And he did them."
Dallu nodded. "I'll do my best. If it's been in the water for a while, it might not work, but...well, if you're right about what that kid witnessed, that's one hell of an energy signature. It'll take me some time to work up, so you might not see me for a few days."
Taz bit her lip, then nodded. "If that's what it takes."
"No promises."
She rolled her eyes. "I ain't gonna take it out on you if you try and fail, darlin'. You know me better than that."
It was true, he did. "I know. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Which was a very strange thing to say to a mermaid plotting murder.
"I won't." She kissed him, and pressed a scrap of cloth into his hands, then dropped back down. "I'll be here, when you're done. You know how to find me."
He watched the last trace of her fins disappear under the water, and sighed. This was...probably not something he should have agreed to. Poking around a murder investigation, when he had no history with the police to begin with, was just asking to get himself arrested. Even if wizards were better thought of than other extranormal people, it was a major risk.
Still, Taz had a point. Whoever--or whatever--had torn a man to pieces and terrified one of the mermaid's minions enough to piss her off that much needed to go down. And if he could help with that, even if he was going outside the law to do it, well, he would face the consequences. It was all worth it.
He climbed down off the rock, collected his shoes, and headed back to his apartment to start trying to track a murderer.
Year: 984 FY
Characters: Taz, Dallu
Warnings: References to murder and interspecies romance
Dallu sat perched on a rock on the edge of Taz's lagoon, dangling his feet in the water and watching her swim closer, taking a roundabout, arcing path the way she did when she was thoughtful.
She pulled herself halfway up, her hands resting on either side of his waist, looking at him intently. "I need you to do somethin' for me."
"Of course, anything," he said. He trailed his fingers down one of her arms.
She smiled faintly. "Not that. Well, that, but not yet. I need you to tell me about a murder."
He stopped. "A murder?"
"Yeah." She pushed away from the rock, floating on her back with her hair spread around her, the edges of her fins just breaking the water. "Male victim, torn to pieces, 'round eleven last night. Might be a John Doe, might've been identified. Not too far from the water, about as far as a scared kid could run."
"...Taz, are you involved in something that--"
Taz jerked and launched herself, furious, almost entirely out of the water. "You don't trust me. When did I ever give you reason to think I'd tear a man apart, Dallu?"
He held up his hands. "That's not what I meant. Of course you didn't do it, you wouldn't." And even if you would, you can't get that far onto land, so there's no way you did that to this one. "But I know you have more contacts than you want me to think, and if one of them is dangerous..."
She flopped back again. "No. One of my kids was a witness. But I don't have any cops on in my network, so I can't figure out what happened."
"And you want me to go poking around?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "Kid was scared shitless, Dallu, and he's always been pretty damn steady, when I've seen him before. I don't like that. Not from one of my people."
And there was the territorial streak in merfolk, rearing its head again. "I might not be able to find much," he warned. "I don't usually work with the police, so I don't have as much access as you think."
"I know. But anythin' you can find. I tore off a piece of the kid's shirt--s'been in the water with me for a long time, but if you could use that to get to where he saw it, and go pokin' around once the cops are done..." She put her hands on the rock again, levering herself up out of the water. "I want this bastard dead, Dallu. Killin' people is all well and good, but there's some things you don't do. And he did them."
Dallu nodded. "I'll do my best. If it's been in the water for a while, it might not work, but...well, if you're right about what that kid witnessed, that's one hell of an energy signature. It'll take me some time to work up, so you might not see me for a few days."
Taz bit her lip, then nodded. "If that's what it takes."
"No promises."
She rolled her eyes. "I ain't gonna take it out on you if you try and fail, darlin'. You know me better than that."
It was true, he did. "I know. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Which was a very strange thing to say to a mermaid plotting murder.
"I won't." She kissed him, and pressed a scrap of cloth into his hands, then dropped back down. "I'll be here, when you're done. You know how to find me."
He watched the last trace of her fins disappear under the water, and sighed. This was...probably not something he should have agreed to. Poking around a murder investigation, when he had no history with the police to begin with, was just asking to get himself arrested. Even if wizards were better thought of than other extranormal people, it was a major risk.
Still, Taz had a point. Whoever--or whatever--had torn a man to pieces and terrified one of the mermaid's minions enough to piss her off that much needed to go down. And if he could help with that, even if he was going outside the law to do it, well, he would face the consequences. It was all worth it.
He climbed down off the rock, collected his shoes, and headed back to his apartment to start trying to track a murderer.